i think the united states will remain committed to the security of the afghan state for at least a decade to come. both political parties in the united states are firm on this point. i think that there's an american consensus behind continued advice and support to the afghan government. as long as that happens, the afghans with our help will be able to stand against the taliban. >> woodruff: all right. we will all continue to watch it. john nagl, vali nasr, we thank you both. >> thank you. >> ifill: still to come on the newshour, reshaping the message for the fall campaign; a change of heart for a global warming skeptic; and evidence of fraud in the medicare program. but first, with the other news of the day, here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: authorities in china moved today to curb protests against japan that turned violent over the weekend. the tensions stem from japan's purchase of islands in the east china sea called the senkaku in japan and diaoyu in china disputed islands northeast of taiwan. it's believed the sea around them may contain oil and natural gas deposits. on satur